ALBUM PROFILES



R.E.M. - "part lies part heart part truth part garbage 1982-2011"


For nearly 30 years R.E.M. ruled my musical world. From the first time I heard “radio free Europe”, straight through their final studio release, “collapse into now”, I could always count on R.E.M. to be there with a good song to make me feel better.

I don’t have to sit and tell you about their hits, undoubtedly even non fans have come across a number of their songs over the years. “Part lies…” is a great opportunity for old and new fans to hear 40 tracks that span every album of their career.

Sure, I could nitpick about some of my personal favorite songs not being part of this collection, but longtime fans like myself already have their other albums to go to. But even R.E.M. fanatics will want this collection because not only does it contain three previously unreleased songs, but it also includes extensive liner notes with R.E.M. members talking about each song (more reason to buy an actual CD copy instead of a digital download).

To sum up, “part lies…” collects a bunch of their hits, along with some deeper album cuts, into a near perfect primer for new fans, or fans familiar with only some of their vast back catalog, while also offering something special for old fans too.

- Lazlo







R.E.M. shocked the world with the news that they had decided to "call it a day as a band" via a statement on their website, and the beloved band announced that they will release their final album, R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982 - 2011, on Warner Bros. Records on November 15th, 2011. The album is a 40-song career-spanning retrospective that for the first time ever collects songs from R.E.M.'s entire back catalog, including the band's early years on the IRS label in addition to their Warner Bros. Records catalog.

R.E.M. formed in 1980 when singer Michael Stipe met guitarist Peter Buck in an Athens, GA, record store where Buck worked. After recruiting bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. released its first single, "Radio Free Europe," in 1981, followed by 1982's Chronic Town EP. Widely credited with inventing the college-rock genre, R.E.M. became the most influential American alternative rock band in history -- inspiring such artists as Sonic Youth, Pavement, Nirvana, and Radiohead -- for achieving multi-platinum mainstream success while maintaining their distinct identity. Over the course of its career, the band has released 15 studio albums and has sold more than 85 million albums worldwide.

R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982 - 2011 features three new songs that R.E.M. finished after they completed their last album, Collapse Into Now: the single "We All Go Back To Where We Belong," which goes to radio and will be available for sale on October 18th, "A Month of Saturdays," and "Hallelujah." All three songs were recorded over the summer in Athens with Accelerate and Collapse Into Now producer, the estimable Jacknife Lee. The band came roaring back with those two albums in the last two years, achieving some of the best reviews of their career and enabling them to go out at the top of their game.